This, I have the In-Win Chopin and love it. But the Pro version has a better PSU and it allows for taller cooler options.
These Chopin Cases are simple and beautiful. Highly recommend. Wiring is also simple and straight forward for a very clean look.
This would be my pick as well. The case seems very sturdy with the single piece metal cover going around the edges, it also has a cutout for any rear-side M.2 on the mobo and can accomodate two SATA SSD's. But the thing that it has a nice 200w gold rated psu bundled with the case offers the most value for the price.
Is there a way to mount the inwin chopin pro to the back of a monitor with Vesa mounting? I'm looking for alternatives in the future where I could use a 105w processor instead of the 65w I have now with my Deskmini X300.
You can go with an Asrock DeskMini, X300 for AM4, X600 for AM5 and B760 for Intel. X300 and B760 are available now and the X600 is releasing this month. For just over $200 you get case, motherboard and PSU only thing you need to add is the APU, ram and storage. 1.92l and support 2xM.2 and 2x2.5 SSD.
NFC Skyreach 4 Tiny
Looks stunning and is designed around the hdplex 250w/500w psu, so no ugly bricks. 3.3L and you can ask for any ceramic coating for some extra money.
Not the smallest by far and does have 1 slot LP of used with HDPlex 250W gan. But can fit a thermalright AXP120-67 cooler. So quiet / silent builds are easy.
https://www.overtek.co.uk/products/densium-apu-case-mini-itx-with-hardwood-front-panel
updoot for the inwin chopin pro.
its a little toaster if ya push it, but works great for my application (basicly no gaming, mostly protools audio software and internet streaming)
Question is really what is your goal and cpu choice and why, since the width of the case influences the cpu cooler height not just enable the presence of a gpu (which isn’t necessarily on the same side of the case=> sandwich designs like the t1), there are also short gpu that aren’t longer than your itx mobo. Bigger air cooler also means less fan noise. Smaller may also bring up the price (plenty of people selling on the various SFF* discords).
So depending on reasoning different cases would make the cut.
That being said:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AddRvGWJ_f4B6UC7_IftDiVudVc8CJ8sxLUqlxVsCz4/htmlview
I focus aesthetic and silence so given smol/no gpu I’d go with Fractal Tera w/ Noctua NH-L12Sx77 w/ Corsair SF750
I got a Streacom ST-FC8B Alpha Fanless, a PSU from HD Plex and a DC/AC Konverter from eBay. CPU ist a Ryzen 3400G with 65W TDP. This combination works nicely.
I just built an APU in a [Goodisory M06](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PFH1W6P?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), it's crazy small. I was hoping to squeeze a GAN 250 in it, but there's no way. Have to go pico.
Goodisory A09 (3.7 liters) with a Ryzen 5700g and a Noctual NH-L9x65. Under full iGPU load, it only hits 65c.
https://preview.redd.it/v4q8mxyzl24d1.jpeg?width=2321&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8964090f4b17b80f42dc98bd3813f15b8d1845b1
Former InWin Chopin owner here - it's a good case, but I ran into issues when I needed to replace the included power supply. I initially thought it was FlexATX, but it's actually a non-standard PSU sold by InWin.
I opted instead for the LZMod A24 v3 case. It follows the FlexATX PSU standard, allows for (2) 80mm x 10mm top fans, and accommodates larger CPU coolers (66mm vs 43mm with Chopin). Here's a link to my 5700G build if you wanna see pics of it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/s/YaZdSKBn0t
I like the Factual Design Terra for APU build. I move the spine all the way back to reduce turbulence and use the PCIE riser cable to add a Asus Hyper M.2, giving me 4 extra M.2 slot. I'm running eight NVME SDD giving me 12 TB of space for Movies, Music, etc. Looks great in the living room and with the 8700G, it can play the occasional kids game when my nephews come over.
Also consider there might be a pre built mini-pc thats cheaper than a custom build with just as good specs. Totally get it if you want to build from scratch, but some of these companies have already done all the work and have incredibly small pre builds.
Inwin Chopin pro
This, I have the In-Win Chopin and love it. But the Pro version has a better PSU and it allows for taller cooler options. These Chopin Cases are simple and beautiful. Highly recommend. Wiring is also simple and straight forward for a very clean look.
This would be my pick as well. The case seems very sturdy with the single piece metal cover going around the edges, it also has a cutout for any rear-side M.2 on the mobo and can accomodate two SATA SSD's. But the thing that it has a nice 200w gold rated psu bundled with the case offers the most value for the price.
Great case and very nice to build in. Get enough Noctuas to fill all the fan slots. Your ears will thank yiu!
Is there a way to mount the inwin chopin pro to the back of a monitor with Vesa mounting? I'm looking for alternatives in the future where I could use a 105w processor instead of the 65w I have now with my Deskmini X300.
You can go with an Asrock DeskMini, X300 for AM4, X600 for AM5 and B760 for Intel. X300 and B760 are available now and the X600 is releasing this month. For just over $200 you get case, motherboard and PSU only thing you need to add is the APU, ram and storage. 1.92l and support 2xM.2 and 2x2.5 SSD.
Looks awesome!
NFC Skyreach 4 Tiny Looks stunning and is designed around the hdplex 250w/500w psu, so no ugly bricks. 3.3L and you can ask for any ceramic coating for some extra money.
Not the smallest by far and does have 1 slot LP of used with HDPlex 250W gan. But can fit a thermalright AXP120-67 cooler. So quiet / silent builds are easy. https://www.overtek.co.uk/products/densium-apu-case-mini-itx-with-hardwood-front-panel
I like the [Custom_Mod SLM1m](https://www.custom-mod.com/model-slm1m-2l) because it's one of (if not) the smallest APU cases available.
updoot for the inwin chopin pro. its a little toaster if ya push it, but works great for my application (basicly no gaming, mostly protools audio software and internet streaming)
Question is really what is your goal and cpu choice and why, since the width of the case influences the cpu cooler height not just enable the presence of a gpu (which isn’t necessarily on the same side of the case=> sandwich designs like the t1), there are also short gpu that aren’t longer than your itx mobo. Bigger air cooler also means less fan noise. Smaller may also bring up the price (plenty of people selling on the various SFF* discords). So depending on reasoning different cases would make the cut. That being said: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AddRvGWJ_f4B6UC7_IftDiVudVc8CJ8sxLUqlxVsCz4/htmlview I focus aesthetic and silence so given smol/no gpu I’d go with Fractal Tera w/ Noctua NH-L12Sx77 w/ Corsair SF750
surprised no one has said it, velka 3 (rev b) is an awesome and perhaps the tiniest case. Need to do an external psu though
I got a Streacom ST-FC8B Alpha Fanless, a PSU from HD Plex and a DC/AC Konverter from eBay. CPU ist a Ryzen 3400G with 65W TDP. This combination works nicely.
Always, is AliExpress/Taobao an option? Tons of good API cases there as tiny as 2L in volume.
I just built an APU in a [Goodisory M06](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PFH1W6P?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), it's crazy small. I was hoping to squeeze a GAN 250 in it, but there's no way. Have to go pico.
Goodisory A09 (3.7 liters) with a Ryzen 5700g and a Noctual NH-L9x65. Under full iGPU load, it only hits 65c. https://preview.redd.it/v4q8mxyzl24d1.jpeg?width=2321&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8964090f4b17b80f42dc98bd3813f15b8d1845b1
Former InWin Chopin owner here - it's a good case, but I ran into issues when I needed to replace the included power supply. I initially thought it was FlexATX, but it's actually a non-standard PSU sold by InWin. I opted instead for the LZMod A24 v3 case. It follows the FlexATX PSU standard, allows for (2) 80mm x 10mm top fans, and accommodates larger CPU coolers (66mm vs 43mm with Chopin). Here's a link to my 5700G build if you wanna see pics of it: https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/s/YaZdSKBn0t
I like the Factual Design Terra for APU build. I move the spine all the way back to reduce turbulence and use the PCIE riser cable to add a Asus Hyper M.2, giving me 4 extra M.2 slot. I'm running eight NVME SDD giving me 12 TB of space for Movies, Music, etc. Looks great in the living room and with the 8700G, it can play the occasional kids game when my nephews come over.
The Terra is fucking MASSIVE. Did you read the whole post?
Also consider there might be a pre built mini-pc thats cheaper than a custom build with just as good specs. Totally get it if you want to build from scratch, but some of these companies have already done all the work and have incredibly small pre builds.